Asia - Pacific

The Indian Tirupur Exporters' Association (TEA) signed last month a memorandum of understanding with the Exporters Association of Botswana (EAOB) to offer its expertise in cluster approach for the growth and development of industry and export.

Blacksmiths and iron-mongers (locally known as lohars) from Baghraji, near Jabalpur, India, shall become small-scale industrialists if a cluster proposal of the regional government gets clearance from a national level.

In the recently published World Economic Forum's Global Information Technology Report, Singapore took the top billing out of a list of 104 countries. The report ranks Singapore as the top economy in exploiting global information and communications technology (ICT) developments.

Hefei, capital of Central China's Anhui Province, is to become the new home to China’s first ever “Science City”. The city is actively seeking new technological industries and striving for efficient use of energy and raw materials.

The Korean government intends to lure 790 billion won (784 million US dollars) in investments before 2010 to build an industrial cluster for radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in Songdo, near the western coast city of Incheon.

China received a loan of 100 million dollar from the World Bank in order to promote and sustain the development of cross-border trade in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia.

Ministers from Laos, Viet Nam, Cambodia and Thailand met during the 11th Mekong River Committee conference in Vientiane (Laos) December 7 - 8, 2004 to discuss regional development.

The Textile Committee of the Ministry of Textiles of the Indian government has brought in senior expertise from the Netherlands. The Committee signed an agreement with the Netherlands Management Cooperation Programme (NMCP), an organisation that offers the expertise of senior managers.

Pune, the second largest city in the state of Maharashtra, India has received a formal government approval to set up an auto cluster, making it the first cluster of its kind in the country.

During a cluster road show led by the Office of the National Competitiveness Committee mid August , Thai north eastern province Nong Khai showed its readiness to encourage cluster development.